Photo: Contributed

Kelowna is getting a new Fringe Festival this fall.

The festival will take place Sept. 19-22 in the heart of the city’s Cultural District, organized by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan.

“We’re extremely excited to be bringing a true Fringe Festival to our region," says ARTSCO executive director Dustyn Baulkham. "Not only is it another performance opportunity for locals, but it brings artists who might not otherwise have visited our area to the Okanagan. We have already received applications from across Canada, and even one from as far away as South Africa. It should be an amazing few days!”

Performers will be selected by lottery, and 12 companies will perform five times.

“Because it is a lottery, you never know what you’re going to get with Fringe, and that is part of the beauty of it. It’s egalitarian and open to all."

The festival is not affiliated with a short-lived Fringe Festival that was staged in Kelowna in the 1990s.

“We hope to grow Fringe year on year. We had a strong response to our A Taste of Fringe teaser last fall, and we hope the community will really get behind Fringe and help make this exciting event as awesome as possible!” says Baulkham.